The Perfect Weekend Getaway in Saratoga Springs, NY

Saratoga Springs, NY, is famed for its equestrian culture. But there’s plenty more going on in this lush upstate New York town. Here are our tips for where to eat, stay, and play during racing season and beyond.

Saratoga Springs is about 200 miles due north of New York City, and it has long been a popular warm-weather getaway for the city's elite. Every summer, the town swells in size as tourists flock from around the world to attend thoroughbred horse races—the best seats during the high season can go for upwards of $10,000. And with the landmark Adelphi Hotel currently under a renovation, due for a splashy 2016 reopening, it's clear that Saratoga is a town worth keeping an eye on.

The Great Outdoors

Saratoga’s horse racing track was opened in 1863, during the height of the Civil War. Today, the arena can hold up to 500,000 people, who come every summer from all over the world. It is believed to be the oldest sports-related site in the United States, and it has had some interesting appearances in pop culture, including a line in Carly Simon’s song “You’re So Vain.”

Shaped like an arrowhead, Congress Park is at the intersection of three major streets—Broadway, Spring, and Circular—at the heart of downtown Saratoga Springs. Within its boundaries you’ll find duck ponds, wells where you can sample mineral water straight from the springs, picnic spots, an antique wooden carousel, and the onetime Canfield Casino, a gorgeous 1870s building that is on the National Register of Historic Places and home to the Saratoga Springs History Museum.

North Broadway Historic District

Some of Saratoga Springs’ most beautiful examples of architecture are in the stately homes along North Broadway near Skidmore College. Take a drive along this road to gape at some of the mansions in styles that vary from classic Victorian to elegant Queen Anne. Some of the homes belong to families like Berghs (founders of the ASPCA) and the Hyde-Pierces (including the actor David Hyde-Pierce, who grew up here).

Eat and Drink

Downtown Saratoga’s Caroline Street has long been the address of choice for fashionable bars and restaurants. Located at 30 ½ Caroline, Sperry’s is Saratoga’s best seafood restaurant. Try the diver scallops or yellowtail sole, and don’t skip the lobster bisque, which is made with crème fraîche and cognac in place of heavy cream.

While Caroline Street is packed full of bars (including the dive Tin & Lint, where Don McLean supposedly wrote the lyrics to “American Pie”), locals prefer a quieter, more relaxed experience around the corner at 9 Maple Ave. Housed in a beautiful restored 1880s building, this low-key cocktail bar claims to have the “largest selection of single-malt scotches between Manhattan and Montreal.” For $25, you can try a tasting menu of one whisky, one scotch, one bourbon, and one cocktail (which the bartender will teach you how to make).

If Friends’ Central Perk were a real place, it might be Uncommon Grounds, a coffee and bagel shop that also serves as an unofficial community center. All bread is baked on-site, and coffee is sourced ethically—there’s information about where each brew comes from if visitors are curious. The café keeps a stash of free books and newspapers for guests to read, plus a dictionary that is opened to a different random page each day—on a recent visit, we learned the word “salubrious.”

Alexander Bryan, a Revolutionary War hero, was the first official permanent resident of the town of Saratoga Springs. His house on the corner of Maple and Rock Streets was his family’s home for many years and was eventually sold to owners who converted it into an inn. Now, it’s a restaurant serving homey classics like French onion soup and roast turkey, but keep an eye out if you’re there late at night—there are rumors the place is haunted.

Where to Unwind

There’s a much more pleasant way to experience Saratoga’s famous mineral water than by drinking it. Book a 20 or 40-minute mineral bath at the stately 1930s-era Roosevelt Baths & Spa. When you arrive, a bath attendant will escort you to a private room, where an antique tub full of vaguely reddish, lukewarm water has already been prepared for you. The tubs are all built into the floor, giving you the illusion that you really are sinking into the water.

The United States only has one museum in the country dedicated to honoring dance and dancers, right in downtown Saratoga. Because of that, the collection is eclectic—there are costumes, photographs, videos, and other media on display, as well as a regular roster of classes, lectures, and performances. Be on the lookout for costumes from Dancing with the Stars and clips from Michael Jackson music videos. The museum is also home to the Dance Hall of Fame.

Wearing a hat to a horse race is good manners and smart skincare. Go all out with a topper from Hatsational, run by Joyce Locks, a longtime Saratoga resident with a background as an interior designer. There are hats for men, kids, and even dogs, but the women’s selection is the most varied—if you’ve ever wanted to channel your inner Queen Elizabeth, this is your chance.